The US healthcare system is a $2.5 trillion industry heavily reliant on the internet, making it a target for cyberterrorism. Experts predict a wave-like attack that could leave staff untrusting of electronic data and demoralize IT teams. To protect itself, the healthcare system must remain vigilant and implement better security measures.
A Canadian medical journal report argues that physicians should consider refusing to prescribe cognitive enhancers to healthy people. The authors suggest that the risks and regulations of prescription drugs outweigh the potential benefits of enhanced mental performance, which are uncertain and may not be achieved with these substances.
Scientists detected over 2,100 unique microbial species in two large dust plumes originating in Asia, significantly higher than the 18 found using traditional culturing methods. The discovery challenges existing understanding of the atmosphere as a conveyor belt and highlights its potential as an ecosystem.
A meta-analysis of six studies involving nearly 120,000 people found that high perceived stress is associated with a 27% increased risk of incident coronary heart disease. The study suggests that reducing stress may improve heart health in the future, particularly for older individuals.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new technology that can detect cancer biomarkers in the urine, potentially enabling earlier diagnosis and improved patient outcomes. The system uses nanoparticles to amplify tumor signals, making it easier to identify specific proteins secreted by cancer cells.
A study by Isabelle Ouellet-Morin found that bullying by peers alters the structure surrounding a gene involved in mood regulation, making victims more vulnerable to mental health problems. The research suggests that victimization experiences in childhood can change not only stress response but also gene functioning related to mood.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that food insecurity is strongly associated with adolescent mental disorders. The study examined 6,483 adolescents aged 13-17 years and found that a one standard deviation increase in food insecurity was linked to a 14% increased odds ...
The Natura 2000 network's effectiveness in covering European species is evaluated, with mixed results. The analysis shows that the network mostly covers target species but has gaps in representation, especially for narrow-ranged species.
A recent study of over 4 million patients found that reducing hospital stays does not increase readmission rates or patient mortality. The UK colonoscopy guidelines were also compared to US guidelines, showing that the UK guidelines may detect advanced adenomas two years earlier without increasing colonoscopy rates. Additionally, adali...
A UI-led team has made the first direct measurement of space turbulence, confirming the existence of 'gusty winds' in space. The discovery sheds light on the role of turbulence in heating the sun's atmosphere and regulating star formation.
A team of researchers has identified the bomb-pulse of uranium-236 in corals from the Caribbean Sea, revealing information on ocean currents. The findings suggest that southern hemispheric waters carry uranium-236, which helps investigate inter-hemispheric water exchange and global heat transport.
Researchers developed a novel hybrid conduit that combines soft and electrically-active materials to guide nerve regeneration and reconnection. The design showed promising results in rats, with significant muscle mass gain compared to other designs.
Scientists have developed a new device that captures and preserves cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream, allowing for non-invasive diagnosis and insight into cancer spread. The technology could enable doctors to detect tumor cells earlier and provide valuable information on how cancer spreads throughout the body.
The American Society for Cell Biology's Celldance awards recognized top videos showcasing cellular mechanisms in development, health, and disease. Winners included a time-lapse of fruitfly embryonic development and a cancer cell movement video.
Health research often focuses on quantifiable aspects, but soccer fans appreciate complexities that make top players excel. Researchers need to tap into these 'intangibles' when evaluating treatments and interventions.
A defective protein called gigaxonin has been discovered as the cause of a rare and lethal childhood disease, giant axonal neuropathy (GAN). The protein plays a critical role in degrading intermediate filaments in nerve cells, leading to massive aggregations that disrupt normal functioning.
Researchers discovered that Alzheimer's disease is caused by faulty cell cycle control in neurons, triggered by the combination of amyloid-beta and tau proteins. In normal cells, these proteins do not induce cell cycle re-entry, but in AD neurons, they do, leading to cell death.
Researchers found that telestroke networks can increase patient recovery, improve function, and reduce disability. With a network, hospitals can make nearly $360,000 annually, with each spoke hospital generating over $100,000 in revenue.
The International Society for the Social Studies has selected Elsevier as publisher for its journal The Journal of Social Studies Research, beginning in January 2013. The peer-reviewed journal will foster research dissemination and ideas related to social studies education.
Socrates Analytics provides a cloud-based software program that collects, standardizes, analyzes, and reports on disparate hospital billing, administrative, and operating room data. This enables hospitals to interpret complex administrative data, view trends, outliers, and variability in care processes, ultimately improving efficiency ...
Researchers from Singapore found that carotenoids decrease hip fracture risk in lean, elderly Chinese men. Low BMI is a stronger risk factor for hip fractures in men compared to women, according to the study.
A new model reveals that viruses construct intermediate structures before final capsid production, outperforming direct assembly in efficiency. This method allows the viral genome to be protected and propagated successfully, even without host cells.
Researchers have developed a new technique to create targeted immunotherapies for cancer, recognizing antigens on cancer cells that are not found on healthy cells. The approach uses chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and costimulatory receptors (CCRs), allowing T cells to attack specific types of cancer cells while sparing normal cells.
Researchers have developed a groundbreaking mind-controlled prosthetic hand that allows users to control it with remarkable accuracy and naturalism. The device has been tested in a clinical trial, achieving a success rate of up to 91.6% and demonstrating clinically significant improvement.
Researchers say limiting global temperature rise to 2°C requires reducing emissions to 41-47 gigatons per year by 2020. This is the only way to meet long-term climate targets without carbon capture and storage, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change.
Cedars-Sinai researchers have successfully converted ordinary heart cells into pacemaker cells using a single gene, Tbx18. The new cells generate electrical impulses and are indistinguishable from native pacemaker cells, offering a potential alternative to electronic pacing devices.
Five young investigators from the Asia-Pacific region were awarded prestigious grants for their top-ranking abstracts. The IOF Young Investigator Award valued at USD 1,000 and invited them to present their work in oral presentations during a special plenary session.
The inclusion of intense but small-scale polar storms in climate models could lead to a different picture of climate change. Adding these storms results in significant changes in ocean circulation, including an increase in heat traveling north in the Atlantic Ocean.
A recent study found that older patients hospitalized with critical illness are at increased risk of developing dementia. The study, published in Critical Care, identified infection, neurological dysfunction, and acute renal failure as independent risk factors for dementia diagnosis.
Researchers found iron 60, a radioactive sign of an exploding star, in low abundance and uniformly distributed in solar system material. The findings suggest the low levels of iron 60 likely came from long-term accumulation of iron 60 in interstellar medium rather than a nearby cataclysmic event.
A study published in Nature Neuroscience found that male rats exposed to cocaine showed resistance to its rewarding effects when given the drug as adults, while their female offspring did not. The researchers believe that this may be due to changes in gene expression triggered by paternal exposure to cocaine.
A new study found that even small strokes can harm neural tissue and alter behavior in rats. Blocking tiny blood vessels in the brain can lead to micro-lesions reminiscent of those seen in dementia patients. The FDA-approved drug memantine showed promise in mitigating these effects.
Researchers reconstructed giant panda's continuous population history from origin to present, revealing global climate change as primary driver of fluctuations. Human activities likely underlie recent population divergence and decline, with local adaptations identified in sensory system genes.
Researchers at Monash University used advanced microscopy techniques to visualize the movements of white blood cells in healthy and diseased kidneys. They found that leukocytes are constantly circulating through and patrolling blood vessels within healthy kidneys, but become agitated during disease, causing inflammation and kidney damage.
A new method creates ontology, a specification of all major players in the cell and their relationships, from large datasets. The approach captures known cellular components and identifies potentially new biological components, triggering updates to existing databases.
A new climate model simulates the effects of Arctic hurricanes on ocean water circulation and climate, suggesting potentially cooler conditions in Europe and North America. The research finds that polar lows influence the sinking of dense cold water in the North Atlantic, driving large-scale ocean circulation.
Researchers found that aerobic exercise led to greater weight and fat loss compared to resistance training, which only increased lean body mass. The combination of both exercises showed mixed results but provided a significant decrease in waist circumference.
A recent study found immunohistochemistry to be a reliable and accurate method for detecting ALK rearrangement in non-small cell lung cancer. The technique outperformed fluorescence in situ hybridization, which is currently the standard but time-consuming method.
A new study validates the IASLC/ATS/ERS classification for lung adenocarcinomas among Japanese patients, revealing prognostic value in histologic subtypes. The classification identifies specific molecular markers, such as EGFR and KRAS mutations, associated with prognosis and treatment outcomes.
A recent study published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology found that COPD is not an independent risk factor for lung cancer. Researchers associated COPD with lung cancer, but attributed this link to smoking and ascertainment bias, highlighting the need for lung cancer screenings when diagnosing COPD.
Scientists are harnessing big data analytics and genomics to tailor fertility treatments to individual women. Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim's work at Celmatix Inc. aims to develop non-invasive diagnostic tests to identify genetic drivers of infertility, enabling personalized recommendations for effective treatments.
Researchers found that Vietnamese women who received nutrition education counselling showed significant increases in calcium intake and stable bone mass. In contrast, the control group experienced decreased bone mass. The study suggests community-based education programmes can improve bone health in postmenopausal women.
A University of Delaware research team has developed a novel camera system to map the surface topography of Arctic sea ice, enabling accurate habitat classification for threatened walruses. The system uses areas of higher competence to interpolate lower-confidence areas, resulting in dense 3-D reconstructions with precision accuracy wi...
The conference, organized by IRB Barcelona and the BBVA Foundation, brings together experts to discuss the virtues of statistics for biomedical applications and present current state of the discipline. Biostatistics is applied to clinical assays, scrutinizing huge amounts of data and integrating information from diverse sources.
A new study suggests that early drunkenness is a greater risk factor for problem behaviors in teenagers than an early age at first drink. The research found that consuming small amounts of alcohol at a young age can lead to various adolescent problems, such as smoking, marijuana use, injuries, and low academic performance.
Researchers found an inverse association between low adiponectin plasma levels and the risk of pancreatic cancer. The study suggests that metabolism plays a role in the pathophysiology of pancreatic cancer, potentially leading to improved survival rates with early detection and therapeutic interventions.
Longitudinal study of adolescents with heavy substance use histories found reduced white-matter integrity compared to those who abstained. This compromise may impair cognitive processing, memory, attention, and decision-making.
A new study suggests that the University of Michigan Health System's (UMHS) approach to medical errors, known as the "Michigan Model," has helped reduce malpractice claims and costs. The model focuses on compensating patients quickly and fairly, supporting clinical staff, and reducing patient injuries by learning from experiences.
Researchers discovered HER2-positive breast cancer stem cells in previously thought HER2-negative tumors, making these cells resistant to traditional treatments. The findings suggest that targeted therapies can effectively treat HER2-negative breast cancers, while also providing a new diagnostic tool.
A new study published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes found that experts are more effective when making intuitive decisions, especially in tasks with less structure. In two studies, researchers compared expert and non-expert participants on basketball shot difficulty and designer handbag authenticity tasks. Resu...
Researchers developed a portable video-based test to measure language comprehension in toddlers and children with autism. The test, known as IPL, tracks eye movements while watching videos to identify language understanding without relying on verbal responses.
A study found that impaired executive function may exacerbate impulsiveness and increase the risk of developing alcohol dependence in adult offspring of individuals with a family history of alcohol dependence. This cognitive endophenotype is associated with decreased EF capabilities and high levels of impulsivity.
Tropical Cyclone Evan is intensifying, bringing hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall to the Samoan Islands. The storm's clear eye wall is generating intense rainfall rates of over 80 mm per hour.
Researchers at Lund University discovered that antibodies in the immune system can be turned around by certain bacteria, affecting their recognition and neutralization. The study shows that this phenomenon varies depending on the severity of the infection, with more serious diseases having the correct antibody orientation.
New studies published in Psychological Science found that young children can pass nonverbal versions of false-belief tasks, suggesting they are able to track the protagonist's perspective. Additionally, research showed that early executive-function skills and vocabulary knowledge predict analytical reasoning skills at age 15.
A study found a significant correlation between excessive daytime sleepiness and vitamin D levels, with higher levels associated with increased sleepiness in black patients. Vitamin D deficiency was linked to reduced sleepiness in this group.
A nationwide survey of obstetricians and gynecologists found that many doctors perform routine pelvic exams in low-risk women due to misconceptions about ovarian cancer screening. The study suggests that the exams may be performed for non-clinical reasons, such as reassurance or expectation, rather than medical necessity.
Researchers have made significant progress in studying quantum entanglement, a phenomenon where electron spins are connected. By calculating the extreme version of entanglement, they found a way to predict this characteristic and expect it to benefit fields like information technology.
A preclinical study suggests that inhibiting mTORC1 with everolimus can suppress Myc-driven tumor initiation and growth. Everolimus caused tumor regression by inducing cellular senescence, rather than apoptosis.
A study by Bielefeld biologists found that male bushcrickets determine the timing of sperm transfer, even when they have 'hopped off' after mating. The researchers suggest that females can influence fertilization by consuming a protein-rich mass, but males control the overall process.